The leaves of Hamamelis ‘Arnold Promise’ were already turning when I showed a glimpse of them in the my tree watching post a fortnight ago – within a few days they were all a beautiful red but every day since then saw a few more fall, leaving an empty tree today. Bare! Naked! Denuded! After our very dry summer it has been interesting to notice how different plants have responded to this, and my other witch hazels are certainly not even at the autumn colour stage yet, showing just a hint of change as can be seen on H ‘Ruby Glow’ and H ‘Zuccariniana’, although the latter suddenly looks more than just a little crispy:
I am a day late in joining Christina’s monthly foliage meme, and if you look at her blog you will find links to lots of foliage posts by other bloggers. Christina described her September foliage as the good, the bad and the downright ugly – which probably sums it up for a lot of us. Some plants just don’t give up the ghost gracefully, like crocosmia, echinops and sweet peas…
… and those slug-molested hostas……
So thank heavens for fresh leaves on clumps of comfrey and pulmonaria…
…the tactile feathery foliage of Ammi visnaga and cosmos …..
…the colour and shape and form and texture of ivy …
…and the perennial favourite Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’, with leaves of epimedium and a silvery leaved pulmonaria just visible between its fiery stems…
Rambling in the Garden 
I checked today and my witch hazels are still very green! Anything with new foliage stands out from the rest that is declining into old age, you have some super new leaves that look very happy. I must move my Persicaria Red Dragon, it certainly isn’t happy where I have it so I must rescue it soon.
Yes, it’s strange how there are things losing leaves but others still getting new ones. I noticed today there were no flower buds on the H zuccariniana – has it been stressed by the dryness, I wonder, or don’t all witch hazels produce their flower buds early on….?
Sorry about the witch hazel, but when they all get larger the show will last much longer. But you still have lots of lovely foliage, we must be positive and look at the best and just accept the bad or ugly if the plant is good at other times.
Oh yes indeed, and I was just comparing and contrasting – I’m not one for complaining about my lot đŸ˜‰
Those witch hazel leaves don’t hang around do they. One of mine is doing the same. And now something has nibbled its nuts off!
Nibbled its nuts off, whatever next?! đŸ™‚
Shame on Arnold, how dare he?! Good to know of his blatant behaviour because I don’t like them nude…that soon ;). Once again I’m in love with the dragon…hope to find it on the plant fair next weekend. It’s not very autumn like here, very warm and delightful really. We’re still having dinner on the terrace but the change of the clocks will put an end to it I’m afraid. đŸ˜‰
Yes, Arnold was most inconsiderate, shedding his clothing like that! When will your clocks change, Annette? Don’t suppose it is worth offering to send you a little dragon…?
Clocks will change end of October, Cathy. Does your offer have anything to do with that? đŸ˜‰ PS: There’ll be an autumn plant fair in a week and I hope to get a dragon there! I’m thinking of creating a dragon or other persicaria wave on the wall separating Pompeii from the rest of the garden.
None at all – just wondered a) if your clocks changed the same day ours and b) if the persicaria would survive the journey. Let me know if it is worth a try
It’ s funny that Arnold loses his leaves when the rest of his tribe still have green leaves. Mine is practically naked too. You have sold me on that Persicaria , it goes on looking good.
I can never remember when the persicaria is likely to need cutting back – but all of a sudden he will look worse for wear so I will cut him right down
Persicaria is a great plant for foliage colour. I would say autumn colour, but ours, P. amplexicaulis “Firetail”, develops its red tints very early in the season, among its lime green leaves. And it’s still flowering. A great plant indeed! At this moment in time, I’m watching our Amelanchier colour up. It’s our autumn highlight!
Mmm – I have a newish ‘Firetail’. Must look at its leaves… My amelanchier has a few red leaves – I took a picture for GBFD but didn’t include it for some reason
You do seem to have quite a few bits of autumn in your foliage, so much color already! Thanks for following the hosta pictures with something a little less abused. It’s amazing what a real slug and snail problem can look like, I shall never complain again!
We are in for a warmer week. Nice, but I can’t see it lasting…. temperatures will fall off quickly now that the sun is getting low.
This year was particularly bad for slugs and snails – I had some lovely hostas last year! Hope you enjoy your warmer week – we have had a little bit of rain – hurrah!
I think that pulmonarias are real stalwarts Cathy providing interest over many months. I wonder why ‘Arnold’ has lost his leaves ahead of your other witch hazels. Is he first to flower or older than t’others?
He was one of the ones I had the longest, I think, along with H arry and H zuccariniana – but he was last to flower this year. Looking back at last year’s blog, it was barely starting to turn for October GBFD!
your poor hostas Cathy, we can often look forward to autumn colour then it does seem to go in a flash, you have plenty of good as well as the bad, enjoy the good, Frances
These were all nibbled really early on in the season, Frances so they were ‘written off’ months ago – too dry for slugs and snails at the moment, I think!
That difference in such a short time!